Enhancing Supervisor Support for Training Transfer

THE ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR IN SUPPORTING THE TRANSFER OF TRAINING PRIOR TO, DURING, AND AFTER TRAINING Dr. Sharon McCrae, PhD, SPHR

Introduction Trion Group, a Marsh McLennan Agency, LLC Company, King of Prussia, PA Assistant Director, Human Resources (January 2015 Present) University of Pennsylvania Health Systems/Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA Employee Relations & Retention Specialist (March 2012 January 2015) Peirce College, Philadelphia, PA Professor, Adjunct (March 2012 Present) GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Philadelphia, PA (1982 2010) Compliance, EEO, Diversity, Employee Relations, Programs &Project Manager (2005 2010) Employee Relations Manager, All US Businesses (2003 2005) Manager, Human Resources, Corporate Staff U.S. (2001 2003) Human Resources Representative (12/97 4/2001) EDUCATION: PhD, Education with a specialization in Training & Performance Improvement, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN MBA, Eastern University, St. Davids, PA BS, Business Administration, LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA AS, Peirce College, Philadelphia, PA CERTIFICATIONS: Strategic Human Resource Planning Certification, Michigan University Business School Senior Professional Human Resources Certification Insights Discovery Client Practitioner Certification Employment Litigation: Minimizing Exposure Certification The Advanced Certificate of Employment Law Process Improvement Facilitation Certification

Objectives To share the outcome of my doctoral research regarding the role of the supervisor in supporting the transfer of training prior to, during, and after training. To inspire Human Resource Professionals to incorporate my research findings into the guidance, coaching, and training they provide to supervisors regarding their support of the transfer of training.

$164.2 Billion(2012) $1,195 (2012) $1,252 (2015)

What is the inevitable question Human Resource Professionals have to answer about the impact of training on the organization?

What is or will be the return on investment to organization?

Agree or Disagree? Training is a viable means to provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to handle the challenges and opportunities created by globalization and the knowledge-drive economy.

Agree or Disagree? Without the transfer of newly acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities to the job, the challenges and opportunities created by globalization and the knowledge-drive economy will not be fully met.

Agree or Disagree? Organizations depend on employees who participated in training to effectively transfer the knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired during training to their respective jobs.

Agree or Disagree? Organizations are reliant on the knowledge, skills, and abilities obtained by trained employees to create products and services.

Agree or Disagree? Supervisors play a pivotal role in supporting the transfer of training and they can be influential in the transfer of training.

Agree or Disagree? Supervisors play a key role in ensuring the organization receives a return on investment from training by supporting the transfer of training.

What does that role look like?

Prior Research

Prior Research The transfer of training is a very important issue, however, prior research has not resulted in data regarding the specific role of supervisors and the specific actions they took supporting the transfer of training (Muhammad et al., 2013). There has been evidence from some researchers that the transfer of training is not taking place (Muhammad et al., 2013). Renta-Davids et al. (2014) stated that other researchers debated the problem of knowledge and skills being acquired during training and not being fully transferred to the job.

My Research

Primary Research Questions What is the supervisor s role in supporting the transfer of training prior to, during, and after training?

Methodology Research Methodology Qualitative Research Research Design One-on-one, semi-structured, and face-to-face interviews Interviews took place in a conference room at the study participants work site. Each interview was recorded via an audio recorder. The interviews were recorded to ensure the accuracy of the data. NVivo software was utilized to journal non-verbal communications. Sample Size 10 managers and supervisors

Methodology contd Data Analysis Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the data from the one-on-one, semi-structured, and face-to-face interviews. The data collected from the semi-structured interviews were analyzed to identify the common theme statements. To increase the probability of validity and reliability after a period of time, a repeated analysis was conducted.

Results Nine Themes Framework Prior to: Understanding the Value Proposition for Training Training Content Validity Job Knowledge Support During: Response to Training Support Training Content Comprehension After: Transfer and Sustainability of Training Support

Results Prior to Training Understanding the value proposition for training Training content validity Job knowledge Support

Results During Training Response to Training Training Content Comprehension Support

Results After Training Transfer and Sustainability of Training Support

Results Nine Themes Framework Question #1 Prior to the actual training, what expectations do you have of your subordinates for directly applying the new knowledge and skills they will receive to their daily jobs? How do you communicate those expectations to your subordinates? Findings: Established an understanding of the purpose for and the impact of the training. Established the expectation that training would be immediately transferred to the job.

Results Nine Themes Framework Question #2 Prior to the training, what actions do you take to prepare your subordinates for applying the new knowledge and skills obtained during training to their daily jobs? Finding: Ensured employees understood what aspects of the training content should be transferred to the job.

Results Nine Themes Framework Question #3 During the time when your subordinates are participating in training, what if anything do you do to monitor and support their progress with applying the new knowledge and skills to their daily job? Findings: Understand how the employees are handling the training content, such as understanding it. Monitor the application of the training to the job.

Results Nine Themes Framework Question #4 After your subordinates have completed training, how do you support them in their efforts to practice and apply the new knowledge and skills learned during the training? Findings: Monitored the transfer of training to determine if it was taking place and if there were any challenges with the transferring. Engaged peers in supporting the transfer of training through role playing, shadowing, and providing feedback. Established expectations of immediate transfer of training after training. Provided ongoing and just-in-time feedback (via one-on-one meetings, instant messaging, etc.) regarding observations of the transfer of training. Held discussions with employees to prepare them for the transfer of training to the job.

Results Nine Themes Framework Question #5 After a subordinate returns to the workplace after a training experience, what if anything do you do that enables on-the-job application of the newly learned knowledge and skills? Findings: Allowed employees to transfer the training to the job in ways that they perceived would improve job performance. Established open-door policies where employees felt comfortable coming to me with their ideas. Asked employees to make suggestions about how work could be done differently. Utilized the new ways the employees saw work as a result of training participation to drive improvements in job performance.

Results Nine Themes Framework Question #6 What actions do you take, if any, to help subordinates avoid reverting back to the old way of performing their daily job? Findings: Ongoing monitoring of the sustainment of the transfer of training to the job. Ongoing feedback regarding the observations of reverting back to the old ways of performing the job. Monitoring of the transfer of training via: one-on-one discussions group meetings periodic audits of work products

Conclusions The primary research question What is the supervisor s role in supporting the transfer of training prior to, during, and after training? was answered by the outcome of the research. The data collected during this research highlighted the significant support the study participants provided to their subordinates prior to, during, and after training. The research findings illuminated the role of the supervisor by providing in- depth descriptions of specific actions that the research study participants took to support the transfer of training. The framework derived from the data collected during this study presented an organized and methodical approach for supervisors to take to effectively support the transfer of training to the job.

Practical Implications/Recommendations Relevant to training and development professionals, employees, and organizations. Can be used to create Training and Performance Improvement interventions to strengthen the supervisor s ability to support the transfer of training. The Nine-Themes Framework contains specific actions supervisors can take to support the transfer of training prior to, during, and after training. Training and development professionals can utilize the results from this study to enhance the design of training and development programs. The incorporation of these data into the design of future training programs will improve employee performance through more effective training transfer.

Practical Implications/Recommendations contd I recommended that further research be conducted in three areas: The impact of the support for the transfer of training provided by the supervisor on job performance. The return on investment for the organization created by the support of the transfer of training by supervisors. The trainees views regarding the support for the transfer of training provided by supervisors and peers.

Q & A Open Discussion

ProQuest

THANKS FOR THIS AWESOME OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY RESEARCH!!!!